[Elythia]
[Eternal City]
The teleportation device hummed with a low, thrumming sound. Its engravings, etched deep into the metallic surface, gleamed under the glow of mana.
This was it. The point of no return.
Aelfric stood before it, clad in his usual black attire, the red accents of his robe billowing ever so slightly as the evening breeze carried through the open space. His hands were steady, his expression composed—but beneath that stoic veneer, something twisted within him.
His gaze fell upon the two figures standing just a few paces away.
Calliope.
Aviva.
His entire world.
The two of them stood side by side—Aviva gripping her mother's hand tightly, her small fingers clinging to Calliope's as though sheer will alone could anchor him here, keep him from vanishing into the unknown.